Multiple wire cable support



Jan. 8, 1963 s. B. SPRAGUE IETAL 3, 7

MULTIPLE WIRE CABLE SUPPORT Filed Jan. 6, 1961 [0 l j I INVENTORSSTEPHEN B. SPRAGUE ARTHUR E BURTON A T TORNEVS United States Patent3,072,357 MULTIPLE WIRE CABLE SUPPORT Stephen B. Sprague and Arthur F.Burton, San Jose, Calif.; said Sprague assignor to said Burton FiledJan. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 81,172 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-86.5)

This invention relates to a portable apparatus for transporting andsupporting a plurality of reels of cable from which the cable may bedispensed.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved portable reelcarrier for carrying a plurality of reels of cable so that said cablemay be dispensed from one or more of the reels simultaneously.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved portable reelicarrier which is provided with a rod on which the reels are adapted tobe rotatably mounted so that they may be positioned either in thehorizontal position for dispensing cable from the reels, or in thevertical position for loading the reels with cable.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved portablecable carrier in which the cable is positioned on reels that areadjustable so as to accommodate cable bundles of different sizes.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improvedportable cable carrier in which the cable supporting reels are rotatablysupported on a tubular member that extends from the handle bars thereofto the lower frame member of the carriage.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved portablecable carriage which is provided with a hollow tubular member on whichseveral bundles of cables are adapted to be rotatably supported, saidtubular member being adapted to be positioned either in its verticalposition or in its horizontal position for dispensing the cables.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improvedportable cable carrier that is provided with a plurality of reels, eachof the reels being made up of two parts that are axially adjustable withrespect to each other.

Other and further objects of this invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which it relates from the following specification,claims and drawings:

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a portable reelcarrier which is adapted to be positioned either in its verticalposition for loading the reels thereof with cable, such as is used forelectric wiring of buildings, or it may be positioned in its horizontalposition for dispensing cable from the individual reels. This portablecable carrier increases the efiiciency and saves time during theinstallation of the electric wiring in buildings because the cable maybe drawn off of the reels into the wiring conduits without becomingtangled up and also without requiring the time consuming attention ofthe electrician performing the installation.

This apparatus is made in the form of a portable carrier having an axlewith wheels mounted on the respective ends thereof and also having aU-shaped frame member with the ends thereof attached to said axleadjacent to said wheels. A hollow tubular member is attached to thecentral portion of the U-shaped frame member and this tubular member isprovided with a plurality of reels. Each of the reels is made of twoparts which are 3,072,357 Patented Jan. 8, 1963 axially adjustable withrespect to each other on said tubular member. The spokes of the reelsare made of angular configuration and they are interleaved with eachother so that as the reel parts are brought closer together, the reel isadapted to receive smaller bundles of cable. This portable carrier isadapted to be positioned with the tubular member thereof in verticalposition for loading the reels thereon one above the other. However,when the portable carrier is to be employed for dispensing cable fromthe reels thereof, the tubular member is positioned in its horizontalposition and the handlebars attached to the upper end thereof areadapted to be positioned with the handle elements thereof engaging thefloor so that the carrier rests firmly on the floor during the cabledispensing operation.

I Further details of this invention will be set forth in the followingspecification, claims and drawings in which briefly:

PEG. -1 is a view of this portable carrier with the reels appliedthereto and with the tubular reel support in horizontal position fordispensing cable;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the bottomend thereof;

PEG. 3 is an exploded view of one of the reels;

FIG. 4 is a view showing this apparatus in vertical position; and I FIG.5 shows a modified form of reel in which the reel part is made of dishedmetal or plastic.

Referring to the drawing in detail there is shown in FIG. 1 anembodiment of this invention in which a plurality of reels are supportedon the tubular member thereof in position for dispensing electricalcable or similar wire therefrom, one of the reels being shown loadedwith cable and the other reels being shown empty. The portable carrierof this invention is provided with a U-shaped frame member 19, the endsof which are provided with suitable holes into which the axle 11 ispositioned and the wheels 12 and 13 are rotatably supported on the endsof this axle which project beyond the end portions of this frame member.Conventional means are employedfor retaining the Wheels on the axle. Athreaded socket member 15 and the foot member 14 are attached by weldingor the like to the central part of the frame 10'. Thus, the foot 14 ispositioned so that when the carrier is upright as shown in FIG. 4, thisfoot engages the floor and cooperates with the Wheels to maintain thecarrier in this upright position. The socket 15 is threaded to receiveone end of a tubular member 16 which is provided with correspondingthreads that are adapted to be received by this socket for rigidlyholding said tubular member 16 assembled with the frame member 10. v

The tubular member 16 is of elongated configuration such that it isadapted to receive a plurality of cablesupporting reels such as thereels 17, 18 and 19. These reels are shown supported on the tubularmember in FIG. 1 in position to dispense electrical cable such aspositioned on the reel 19.

The reels 17, 18 and 19 are rotatable on the tubular member 16, however,they are held against free rotation by the spring 22 which is positionedon the tubular member and which presses the reels against the bottomsocket member 15 and the collar 20 which is fixedly held on the tubularmember by means of the locking bolt 21 which is threaded through thecollar 20 and engages the tubular member 16. Thus, the spring 22 exertsa certain amount of pressure on the reels and prevents them from freelyrotating on the tubular member 16 when they are in horizontal position,as shown in FIG. 1.

The top end of the reel carrier is provided with handle bars 23 whichhave end portions 23a that are adapted to be gripped by the workman whenwheeling the carrier. Also, these end portions 23a are adapted to reston the floor when the carriage is in the horizontal position shown. Thecentral part of the handle bars 23 is provided with a collar member 24which is attached thereto by welding or the like, and this collar member24 is adapted to be placed on the end portion of the tubular member 16on which it is held by means of the bolt 25 which is threaded throughthe collar 24 and engages the tubular member 16. Thus, the handle bars23 may be removed from the end of the tubular member 16 by loosening thebolt 25 when the carrier is in its vertical position, as shown in FIG.4. When the handle bars are removed, the collar 20 may also be removedby loosening the bolt 21 so that the reels 17, 18 and 19 may be removedfrom the tubular member 16.

These reels are made in two parts, as shown in FIG. 3, and both of theseparts are interchangeable. Thus, each part includes a circular member 26which may be made out of a steel rod bent into a circle and theadjoining ends welded together. Each part also includes a tubular hubmember 27 which is of an inside diameter such that it fits onto thetubular member 16 so that the reel is rotatable thereon. Each part alsoincludes a plurality of spokes 28 which are bent in the configurationshown in FIG. 3, and the outer ends of these spokes are welded to thecircular member 26. The inner ends of these spokes lap over the outsideof the hub member 27 and are welded thereto. These spokes are spacedsubstantially equi-distantly around the hub member 27 and the portions28a thereof are disposed almost parallel to the axis of the hub 27, butproviding a slight clearance so that when the two reel parts areassembled, the portions 28a of the spokes of one of the reel partsclears the outside of the hub portion 27 of the other part so that thereel parts can be assembled with the spoke portions 28a thereofinterleaved, as shown in the reels assembled on the tubular member 16 inFIG. 1. Also, when the reels are empty the hub portions 27 of the reelparts abut each other. However, when a supply of cable is placed on areel, the hub parts 27 of the reel will be spread apart more or lessdepending upon the quantity of cable on the reel. As the cable isunwound from the reel, the spring 16 exerts pressure so that the reelparts are brought closer together. The reel parts may be made out ofsheet metal or plastic 30 as shown in FIG. 5, if desired, slightlydished toward each other, and each of these dished sides may besoldered, brazed or cemented to a hub 31 which corresponds to the hub 27shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Wire members 32 which are attached to the disk30 and to the hub 31 are also provided to this modification to take theplace of the members 28 and function in the same manner.

The reels may be stacked as shown in FIG. 4, in which case they are allfacing in the same direction instead of in opposition, as shown inFIG. 1. The stacking arrangement shown in FIG. 4 is adapted for usewhere the amounts of cable are relatively small. Also, the parts of thespokes adjacent to the circular members 26 may be bent outward a shortdistance so that the circular members 26 overhang the cable and preventit from unwinding from the reel accidentally.

While there is shown a preferred embodiment of this invention, it willbe understood that the invention is capable of variation andmodification from the form shown so that its scope should be limitedonly by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

' What we claim is:

1. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable such aselectric cable, the combination of a frame member, a foot memberattached to said frame member,

wheels rotatably attached to said frame member, an elongated member,means for fixedly attaching one end of said elongated member to saidframe member, said foot member extending from said frame member so thatsaid elongated member is held upright when said foot member and saidwheels engage the floor, a plurality of reels rotatably supported onsaid elongated member, each of said reels comprising a pair ofinterchangeable parts, said reel parts being adapted to form a supportfor a coil of cable when said parts are assembled in opposed relation toform a reel, each of said parts also having a hub attached thereto forrotatably supporting said reel parts on said elongated member, said reelparts being adapted to be placed on said elongated member separatelywhen said elongated member is held upright so that a coil of cable maybe inserted therebetween, handlebars attached to the other end of saidelongated member, said handlebars having a length such that when theyengage the floor said elongated member is in a substantially horizontalposition and said reels are in vertical position to dispense cabletherefrom.

2. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable such aselectric cable, the combination of a frame member, wheels rotatablyattached to said frame member, an elongated member, means for fixedlyattaching one end of said elongated member to said frame member, aplurality of reels rotatably supported on said elongated member, each ofsaid reels comprising a pair of interchangeable parts, each of saidparts having a plurality of angularly shaped spokes that are adapted tobe interleaved to form a cradle support for a coil of cable when saidparts are assembled in opposed relation to form a reel, each of saidparts also having a hub attached thereto for rotatably supporting saidreel parts on said elongated member, handlebars attached to the otherend of said elongated member, said handlebars having a length such thatwhen they engage the floor, said elongated member is in a substantiallyhorizontal position and said reels are in vertical position to dispensecable therefrom.

3. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable such aselectric cable, the combination of a frame member, wheels rotatablyattached to said frame member, an elongated member of substantiallycircular cross section, means for fixedly attaching one end of saidelongated member to said frame member, a plurality of reels rotatablysupported on said elongated member, each of said reels comprising a pairof interchangeable parts, each of said parts having a plurality ofangularly shaped spokes that are adapted to be interleaved to form acradle support for a coil of cable when said parts are assembled inopposed relation to form a reel, each of said parts also having a hubattached thereto, each of said hubs being adapted to fit on saidelongated member for rotatably supporting said reel parts on saidelongated member, said hubs being movable axially on said elongatedmember to spread the reel parts apart to accommodate cable coils ofdiiferent sizes, handlebars attached to the other end of said elongatedmember, said handlebars having a length such that when they engage thefloor said elongated member is in a substantially horizontal positionand said reels are in vertical position to dispense cable therefrom.

4. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable as setforth in claim 1 further characterized in that there is provided springmeans mounted on said elongated member for preventing free rotation ofsaid reels and for pressing the parts of each of said reels towards eachother to accommodate smaller coils of cable as cable is unwound from thecoils.

5. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing cable as setforth in claim 1 further characterized in that there is provided meansfor detachably holding said handlebars on said elongated member so thatsaid handle bars may be removed from said elongated member when reelsare to be placed on said elongated member or taken therefrom.

5 6 6. In a portable apparatus for carrying and dispensing each other ineach of the reels, and the peripheral parts cable as set forth in claim3, further characterized in that thereof overhang the cable coilsupported therebetween. each of the interchangeable parts of each ofsaid reels comprises a dished body member having a convex shapeReferences Clted m the file of thls patent on one side and a concaveshape on the other, said plu- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS rality ofangularly shaped spokes of each of said parts 549,202 Landon 5 1 95being attached to the convex-shaped side of each of the 2,439 10 Schmidt22, 1949 dished body members so that when said reel parts are 2,705 114w h Man 29, 1955 assembled the convex sides of said body members oppose2,955,327 Blary D 20, 1950

2. IN A PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR CARRYING AND DISPENSING CABLE SUCH ASELECTRIC CABLE, THE COMBINATION OF A FRAME MEMBER, WHEELS ROTATABLYATTACHED TO SAID FRAME MEMBER, AN ELONGATED MEMBER, MEANS FOR FIXEDLYATTACHING ONE END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER TO SAID FRAME MEMBER, APLURALITY OF REELS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, EACH OFSAID REELS COMPRISING A PAIR OF INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS, EACH OF SAIDPARTS HAVING A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY SHAPED SPOKES THAT ARE ADAPTED TOBE INTERLEAVED TO FORM A CRADLE SUPPORT FOR A COIL OF CABLE WHEN SAIDPARTS ARE ASSEMBLED IN OPPOSED RELATION TO FORM A REEL, EACH OF SAIDPARTS ALSO HAVING A HUB ATTACHED THERETO FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAIDREEL PARTS ON SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, HANDLEBARS ATTACHED TO THE OTHEREND OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, SAID HANDLEBARS HAVING A LENGTH SUCH THATWHEN THEY ENGAGE THE FLOOR, SAID ELONGATED MEMBER IS IN A SUBSTANTIALLYHORIZONTAL POSITION AND SAID REELS ARE IN VERTICAL POSITION TO DISPENSECABLE THEREFROM.